TMC delegation expresses solidarity with Poonch people affected by Pak shelling

Poonch/Jammu, May 22 (PTI) A five-member delegation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday visited Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district and expressed solidarity with the people of the region affected by the recent artillery and mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army.

The Indian Army struck nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under its Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

The subsequent retaliation by Pakistan, which included cross-border artillery shelling, killed 27 civilians and injured over 70 people in the Jammu region, particularly the Poonch sector.

The delegation, comprising MPs Derek O'Brien, Sagarika Ghose and Md Nadimul Haque; West Bengal Minister Manas Bhunia and former MP Mamata Thakur, visited Poonch on their second day of a three-day visit to J-K, which began on Wednesday from Srinagar.

During their visit, the delegation met the families of the victims, conveyed their condolences and assured the people of Poonch of their support during these difficult times.

Rajya Sabha MP Ghose said they had come to Poonch to assure the affected people that the entire Bengal and India stood with them.

"This is a journey of empathy. This is a journey of unity. We have come here to share the pain and sorrow of the people who have lost their family members and those who are injured," she told reporters here.

She assured the people that they would not be left alone in this situation. "We are here to say that you are not alone. We all stand with you. All the people of Bengal stand with you, and all the people of India stand with you too," she added.

Assuring their support, she said, "Whatever steps the Jammu and Kashmir government takes for your assistance, for your rehabilitation and for your support, we will fully support them. We will also try to help from our side." The TMC MP said they had also come to see what could be done for the innocent lives lost in the firing. "We now want to explore what kind of permanent solution can be found and how this area can be made safe," she said.

Taking a dig at the government for its failure to evacuate people in Poonch in time, she said, "We will also ask the government why these people were not evacuated in time. Why is there no bunker here? "And why are there no ventilators or ICUs in the Poonch district hospital? We will raise these real issues — that is why we are here." Rajya Sabha MP O'Brien said they were deeply moved by what they had seen in the past two hours. "It is heartbreaking to witness this destruction. Mamata Ji has sent us here and we have come to tell these families that we are with you," he said. PTI AB KSS KSS